


Oblivious Dorks

by novemberthird



Series: Excerpts From [9]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Muggle, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2017-10-24
Packaged: 2019-03-01 20:43:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13302828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/novemberthird/pseuds/novemberthird
Summary: Prompt(s): inspired by a Shawn Mendes song (aka Strings)





	Oblivious Dorks

* * *

_He was three-years-old the first time he met her. She was beautiful even then with her hair going down her back in gentle waves.  
_

_‘I’m James.’ He introduced himself with all the courage he dared._

_‘I’m Lily.’ The girl said as she watched a blonde girl approaching them._

_‘How old are you?’ He eyed the blonde as well, not entirely sure she wouldn’t take away the pretty girl._

_‘Three.’ Her toothy grin had a fluttery feeling forming in his stomach._

_‘Me too.’ He said as the blonde finally reached them, eyeing the boy’s messy hair._

_‘We’re leaving,’ her sister demanded. Lily stood up watching the black-haired boy pout. Lily decided she liked the boy, he seemed nice._

_‘Will you be here tomorrow?’ She pushed a strand of red hair behind her ear, awaiting the boy’s response._

_‘Will you?’ His eyes were trained on her, attempting to memorise every part of her._

_‘Yes.’_

* * *

_She met him at the park the next day, his hair as messy as ever. His legs were swinging as he pushed himself on the swings._  


_‘Hello,’ he said as she made to sit beside him._

_‘Hello.’_

_‘Where’s the other girl–your sister?’_

_‘Petunia didn’t want to come with today.’_

_‘She doesn’t like me, does she?’ His voice wasn’t accusatory, just a fact he had no particular feelings on._

_‘Tuney likes rules, she likes everything neat and organized.’ She paused for a moment, ‘She thinks your hair is too messy and looks like a bird’s nest.’_

_The boy chuckled, ‘My mum says that a lot. Do you think so too?’_

_Her reply was immediate, ‘Yes,’ she leant over to grab a piece with her fingers, ‘but it’s nice, it’s fluffy.’_

_‘Your hair’s red, I’ve never seen anyone with red hair before.’ He saw her blush slightly, ‘it’s pretty,’ he added despite his better judgement._

_‘Want to come over to my house? My mum’s making cookies.’ His voice was hopeful._

_She thought it over for a minute, knowing her mum wouldn’t approve of her going over to a stranger’s house, but she didn’t think the boy looked dangerous. ‘Okay.’_

_James was happy when Lily came over again to his house, although he knew she shouldn’t be walking by herself to see him, the park was farther from her house than it was his and she had to pass it to get to his. But he made her promise as she stepped inside that she’d tell him when she planned to come over so he could come for her._

_‘You worry too much.’ She said before taking his hand tight in his and leading him to the kitchen to greet his parents._

_‘Hello Mr and Mrs Potter,’ she announced, hands still clasped with their son’s._

_‘Hello, Lily, I didn’t know you were coming over.’ Mr Potter greeted her, smiling at their intertwined hands. He gave his wife a knowing look as she yet unboxed yet another box. ‘Did you want anything to drink, love?’ Her smile was genuine and warm and reminded Lily of James’._

_‘No, thank you, I just wanted to come visit James. My mum wanted to know if you would all have dinner at our house tomorrow, she wants to meet James.’ The pair watched as their son seemed to be captivated by the little redhead, being uncharacteristically quiet._

_‘James, would you like that?’ His mother asked._

_‘Yeah, that’d be fun.’ She smiled her toothy smile and in that moment he fell in love._

* * *

_They were five the first time they kissed._

_They had been playing a game of chase when one of the six-year-old boys said he wanted to kiss her. Lily didn’t understand because only mummies and daddies kissed, her mummy told her that you could only kiss someone you loved._

_‘Oi, what do you think you’re doing,’ she heard James’ voice yell at the boy who had her cornered and whose face was centimeters away from hers._

_‘I want to kiss her,’ the boy said in a matter-of-fact tone, his eyes drifting back to hers as James shoved him, much to all their surprise._

_‘No,’ was James reply as he stood in front of Lily, blocking him. Lily noticed the way in which James fingers came together into a fist._

_‘No?’ the boy asked, shoving James who in turn bumped into Lily._

_‘No,’ the hazel-eyed boy said, his voice didn’t sound like her James’._

_‘Then you kiss her.’_

_This shocked both James and Lily, they were best friends and best friends certainly didn’t kiss–or did they?_

_‘Fine,’ James tuned towards her, taking her small face between his hands and placing a small kiss onto her lips, so soft and hesitant that had her senses not gone on overdrive, she would not have felt it. Yet she did, and she felt herself falling in love._

_Seconds later, he pulled away. He looked into her green eyes and a blush rose to his cheeks._

_Young Bertram Aubrey ran away and began to tell anyone that would listen that James had kissed a girl._

_‘Are you all right?’ James asked her, avoiding her eyes._

_‘Yeah.’_

_‘Okay.’_

* * *

_‘You’ll be gone the whole summer?’ She asked asked him as they lied on his bed, their hands touching._

_The seven-year-old boy looked at her sadly, ‘Yes, my grandfather is sick. Dad wants to be with him.’ He grabbed her fingers in his, ‘He lives in Wales, and I’ll send you a postcard every week.’_

_‘And you won’t forget about me?’ Her vulnerability was written all over her face._

_‘You’re my best friend, Lil.’ He gave her hand a quick squeeze, ‘I’ll never forget about you.’_

_‘Promise?’_

_‘I promise, you’re my best friend. Of course I won’t.’_

* * *

_‘The bed’s getting too small, you know,’ she said as she rested her head on his shoulder._

_‘Nah, you’re just getting big,’ he said as he poked her stomach._

_‘You’re the big one, not me,’ she shoved him, causing him to pout and turn around to face her._

_‘But you still love me,’ he teased as he snuggled his head into her collarbone._

_‘Only mummies and daddies can love each other.’_

_‘That’s not true, you love your sister, right?’_

_‘But that’s different, we’re related.’_

_‘You can love people in different ways, I love you like I love mum and dad or my cat.’_

_‘That’s gross, Jamie.’_

_He laughed at her, ‘Come play football with me, yeah?’ He said as he jumped off his bed in search of his ball._

_‘Only if you promise not to cheat.’_

_He faked indignation, ‘I don’t cheat.’_

_‘Liar,’ he heard her laugh, a laugh which made his inside warm._

* * *

_They were eleven now, and Lily didn’t like that James had other friends–boy friends who got muddy and were loud and took him away from her all the time._

_‘You can always come with when we go play football or when I go over to one of their houses, they won’t mind.’_

_‘Sirius doesn’t like me,’ she protested._

_‘It’s nothing personal, he just doesn’t think boys should hang out with girls. If you hung out with us more then maybe he’ll like you more.’_

_She tried once to do so when James went over to Remus’ house when he was feeling too sick to go out. Peter and Remus were perfectly nice to her, Sirius was the one making snide remarks with his stupid mouth while James tried to play peacemaker between them._

_That was the last time he made the suggestion, he had to drift between the boys and Lily–although more frequently than not he hung out with the boys._

_She came home crying one day after a fight with him about always deciding to hang out with stupid Black who continued to be a jerk to her._

_‘You always take his side in everything, James,’ she had sighed, ‘sometimes I don’t even think we’re friends anymore.’_

_He seemed hurt by her statement, ‘Maybe we’re not.’_

_‘Fine,’ she grabbed her bag and left._

* * *

_He apologized for being a jerk, but things between them were bad for a while. But they were best friends, and best friends forgive each other._

_They were thirteen now and what a complicated age it could be._

_‘I can’t believe you kissed Hazel Blake. I didn’t even know you fancied her.’ Lily let her eyes look up at his._

_‘I don’t, not really.’ James ruffled his hair nervously,_

_‘Then why did you kiss her?’_

_‘I was curious, Sirius kissed Maire Devin last week, and he was bugging me for not ever snogging a girl.’_

_‘You’re thirteen what does he expect, you to put your tongue in every girl’s mouth.’_

_James laughed which sent a fluttering feeling to blossom in Lily’s stomach. ‘No, I suspect not.’ He changed the topic, ‘Are you coming to watch me play this weekend?’_

_‘I wouldn’t miss it for the world.’_

* * *

_At fifteen a realisation struck one of them._

_It was the day before one of James’ big football games while Peter, Remus, and Sirius sat in the stands while the bespectacled boy and the redhead girl played a game of one to one._

_‘Go, Evans,’ Sirius cheered._

_‘I liked it better when you didn’t like her!’ James screamed._

_‘Don’t be rude, Jamie.’ She laughed as she managed to make a goal in past him, ‘And here I thought you were good at football.’_

_‘Oy, I am good, I’m just going easy on you, love.’_

_‘How kind of you,’ she teased._

_‘You know me, always being generous.’_

_She giggle as she kicked the ball, teasing him with it. ‘Come on, Evans, you can’t always be so lucky.’_

_She grinned at him and did the last thing he expected; she threw herself into his arms, knocking them both to the ground. Having managed to grasp the ball in her, she threw it into the goalpost._

_‘This is not American football, Lil,’ James began about to lecture her on the ethics in sports, but he looked up at her laughing face and the urge to kiss the girl in front of her pulled at him. He never realised quite how beautiful his best friend had become until that moment._

_But he couldn’t fancy her, she was his best friend._

_He gently pushed her off him, ‘You’re a cheat, Lil,’ he said, his voice cracking in the process._

_She looked at him weirdly. ‘Right. Well, as much fun as this was I did promise April I would go over to help her study. I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?’_

_‘Tomorrow?’ his eyebrows furrowed._

_‘To walk to school together, the way we always do.’ Her confused smile was cute, and James hated that he thought that about her._

_She gave a brief wave to their friends before getting smaller and smaller and disappearing._

_‘Bloody hell,’ he screamed when he thought she would no longer hear him. The sound alerted his friends who had started approaching._

_‘What’s the matter, Prongs?’ Sirius asked concerned._

_‘I think I might–I think I fancy her?’ he managed to get out._

_‘Lily?’ Remus asked to clarify._

_‘Yes,’ James responded quietly._

_Peter looked at him confused. ‘I thought you already knew that,’ the chubby boy said._

_James turned on him, ‘You knew!’_

_‘We all did, we just assumed you knew too.’_

_‘You all knew, and none of you bothered to tell me?’ He sounded like he was about to start hyperventilating. ‘Why?’_

_‘Again, we thought you knew?’ Sirius said exasperated. ‘I’m surprised she doesn’t know.’_

_‘Not why didn’t you tell me, why her? Out of any girl I could have fancied it had to be Lily.’ He laughed bitterly at the irony._

_‘She is quite fit,’ Sirius said._

_‘Really smart too,’ Remus added._

_‘And she’s nice to everyone,’ Peter put in._

_‘Oh, and she loves football,’ Sirius smirked at this one, ‘We all know how important that is to you.’_

_‘Not the time, Padfoot.’ He sank to the ground, ‘What am I going to do?’_

_‘Tell her,’ Sirius shrugged._

_‘She’s my best mate, Padfoot. I’ve known her since I was three. I can’t fancy her.’_

_‘Why not?’ Peter asked._

_‘It would ruin everything.’_

* * *

_So he went out with Annalisse Reynolds instead, pretending he didn’t secretly harbour feelings for his best girl mate. He let his jealousy get out of hand at times, glaring at any boy whose eyes lingered too much on her, threatening any guy who dared hurt her._

_‘You’re not my dad,’ Lily would laugh._

_‘Well, I’m just letting any guy who dares hurt you know that have me to answer to answer to.’_

_‘My hero,’ she teased._

_That was until three months before Lily’s seventeenth when she began dating Adam Mumps who was one of the guys on James’ football team._

_‘He’s going to break your heart, Lil.’ He warned her after punching her boyfriend in the face for talking about her in the locker room the way you’d talk about a girl in a tavern. Not that Lily knew what had happened to her boyfriend’s face._

_‘The way you broke Annalisse Reynolds’.’ She said harshly._

_‘That’s different, I didn’t care for her the way you should for a girlfriend. I didn’t feel butterflies or miss seeing her. If I had let that go on any longer, it would have been cruel. But Adam Mumps has a reputation of breaking girls’ hearts. Do you really want to be his next victim?’_

_‘He’s just misunderstood, James, he’s a nice guy.’_

_‘I’m not going to watch you get your heart broken by him, Lily.’ He said before walking off, not turning to see the heartbroken expression on Lily’s face._

* * *

_They barely spoke for two months, and it broke both of them. James meant what he said, however, he didn’t want to see her brokenhearted. He knew Adam Mumps, and he knew he’d break Lily’s heart._

_‘You’re just jealous, Prongs.’ Sirius said one day._

_‘It’s not about me being jealous, Padfoot. You and I both know his reputation with girls. A few good snogs, a few good shags, then he breaks up with them. I don’t want that to be Lily.’_

_‘He’s only shagged Naomi Evermonde and Ruth Morville as far as I know.’_

_‘And he broke up with them as soon as he was done with his fun.’ He sighed, ‘He’s going to make a game out of her.’_

_‘I don’t think Lily will fall for it, she’s smarter than that,’ Peter spoke up._

_‘Not talking to her isn’t going to fix anything, James,’ Remus said softly._

_‘At least I don’t have to watch it happening.’_

_‘She misses you,’ Sirius sounded annoyed. ‘You’re hurting her.’_

_‘I’m hurt too.’_

* * *

_‘I’m shagging her tonight,’ he heard Adam Mumps tell the rest of the football team as they were about to go in and change. It took all his restraint not to attack him right there._

_One of Adam’s mates laughed as his eyes drifted to the girl they spoke of, ‘Evans really is fit, isn’t she? Do you think she’ll actually shag you though?’_

_‘Of course, she’s a bit of a tease. I bought her this necklace she might like, thought that might do to seal the deal. All I have to do is tell her I love her, and she’ll throw herself right at me.’_

_‘Do you love her?’ One of them asked._

_‘Of course not, she’s a fun time.’ At those words, James sprinted to catch up to him and shoved him, causing the other boy to fall to the ground._

_‘What’s wrong, Potter?’ Adam’s smug smile pissed James off even more. ‘Jealous?’_

_James aimed another punch at him causing the other boy to respond. They both aimed punches anywhere they could._

_‘Stop it, James, Adam, please.’ He heard the pretty girl’s plea, and he almost gave in until he remembered the boy’s proclamation._

_‘Stay out of it, Lily.’ He bit out harshly._

_‘James, please,’ she said, her hand on his shoulder that caused him to tense. He sighed before getting off Adam. ‘What happened?’_

_‘Potter attacked me for no reason, I was just talking about how much fun we were going to have on our date tonight, Lilybug,’ Adam sucked up._

_‘James?’ Her words begged for his attention, any response that said they could go back to how things were._

_‘Have fun shagging,’ was all he said causing tears to appear in the girl’s eyes. Not that James saw as he went to go change with more bruises on his skin than when he began the day._

  


_A month later, rumours had begun all over school about what happened the previous day. About what James had feared._

_‘Did you hear Adam Mumps and Anna Lestrange were caught shagging in one of the cupboards?’_

_‘What about Evans?’_

_‘I heard she’s the one who caught them.’_

_The rumours had begun all over school with no Lily to be found._

* * *

_James stopped Remus before English, ‘Look, I’m going over to her house, cover for me, yeah?’_

_There was a slight smirk on Remus’ face, ‘What happened to not wanting to see her hurt?’_

_‘She’s still my best mate,’ he sighed. ‘Even when I’m upset with her.’_

_‘I’ll let McGonagall know you have the stomach flu.’_

_‘Thanks, mate.’ He made sure to avoid passing McGonagall’s classroom as he snuck out of school and walked over to the Evanses._

* * *

_Mrs Evans opened the door as James ruffled his already messy hair, ‘James?’_

_‘Hello, is Lily in?’ He was nervous._

_‘Aren’t you supposed to be in class?’_

_‘I, unfortunately, have the stomach flu and decided to check up on my dear friend.’ His slight smirk gave him away._

_Mrs Evans moved away from the door, ‘Come in.’_

_He was serious again, ‘How is she?’_

_‘I don’t know, she won’t talk to me.’ Her blue eyes looked into James’ hazel ones. ‘What happened?’_

_James scowled, ‘Her boyfriend’s a prick.’_

_‘Oh,’ she said understanding his meaning before motioning for him to go upstairs._

_He turned the door before quietly going into her room. ‘I don’t want to talk about it,’ she mumbled into her pillow._

_‘Fine, we won’t.’_

_His voice shocked her, ‘James?’ she asked as she turned around._

_‘But he’s a bloody prick,’ he added as he approached her bed._

_‘You said you wouldn’t be here if he broke my heart.’ Her eyes were red with tears._

_‘We both should’ve known I was lying.’ He lied down on her bed and wrapped an arm around her, ‘We both know I wouldn’t leave you to cry while that stupid prick is probably smug right now.’_

_She snuggled into him causing both of their hearts to beat faster. ‘Thank you.’_

_‘So, tell me,’ he smirked, ‘what did you do to the prat?’_

_‘Well,’ she began, ‘if, by chance, he can’t grace us with his offsprings, I may or may not be responsible.’_

* * *

_‘Hey, James,’ she asked as she saw him drifting off to sleep. Two weeks had past since the accident, and James and Lily continued to snuggle together in either her room or his. She would hold his hand when they were alone or kiss his cheek in public. She would glare at girls who made moves on James in her presence and would flirt with him at every moment._

_However, James Fleamont Potter is an oblivious dork._

_‘Hmm…’ She giggled at his response before poking his side, ‘Pay attention to me.’_

_‘Always, love,’ he turned on his side. ‘What is it?’_

_She bit her lip self-consciously which immediately shifted James’ attention–not that she minded at the moment._

_She took a deep breath, ‘Can I kiss you?’_

_His attention once more shifted, this time to look into her eyes._

_‘I–err–what?’_

_She laughed half-heartedly, ‘Can I kiss you?’_

_‘I–why?’_

_She felt her cheeks blush and the feeling in her stomach sink. ‘Nevermind,’ she mumbled before turning away. Not letting him see the tears that had begun to form. ‘Maybe I should go.’_

_He sounded confused as he said her name and turning her to face him. It was in the second he examined her face that he made a decision._

_He kissed her. Gently and hesitantly at first, but once he felt her kiss him back his kiss turned rougher, like he had waited his whole life for this–which was only half-true._

_They didn’t know how long they lied there kissing, but Lily had somehow ended up on top of him with James hands drawing circles on her stomach causing Lily to make whimpering noises that drove James crazy._

_He pushed her off of him gently._

_‘I don’t know how much more obvious I can be, James, but I fancy you.’_

_‘Fuck,’ he said before kissing her again._

* * *

_And that’s the story of two kids who fell in love. Two kids who got married and watched as their children repeated the same cycle of falling in love. Because if there is one universal truth about James and Lily Potter, it is that they were very much in love._

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt(s): inspired by a Shawn Mendes song (aka Strings) 


End file.
